Gardner Mayor Mark Hawke this morning made the trip to the Franklin headquarters of the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association and turned in the trophy given to the Gardner High swim team for its sectional championship in February. Gardner's title was revoked in October for allegedly violating MIAA rules. The MIAA demanded then that the school return the trophy.

Gardner Superintendent Carol Daring said this morning she plans to appeal the MIAA's ban on all Gardner High winter sports teams competing in the postseason. However, an MIAA spokesperson said there is no formal appeal process.

The mayor, in an interview after he turned in the trophy, said the city will not give up its fight to overturn the ban on postseason play. The mayor, who serves as chairman of the School Committee, said he has asked City Solicitor John Flick to pursue the case in the courts.

"If that's what we have to do, then we'll do it," Hawke said.

Gardner's 2012 sectional swim title was revoked when the MIAA determined that the Gardner may have broken the MIAA's “bona fide team” rule by allowing swimmers to skip school practices to attend club events.

The school and its former swim coach, Don Lemieux, have denied wrongdoing.

Mr. Hawke did not meet with MIAA officials today. With several members of the media looking on, he walked into the agency's offices and handed the trophy to a staff member. He asked for a receipt.

MIAA executive director Richard Neal left the building before the mayor's arrival, but not before telling reporters that Gardner had no chance of having the ban lifted. The efforts by the mayor and superintendent were "too little, too late," he said. Mr. Neal called Gardner officials' actions a "blatant act of defiance."

Mr. Hawke said he wasn't aware that the MIAA has set a deadline for the trophy's return. Originally, the MIAA had said the trophy had to be returned by Nov. 26, but Gardner didn't have its appeal heard -- and denied -- until two days later.

After that, Mr. Hawke said the trophy was forgotten about.

“Shame on Gardner, shame on me for not double-checking on it," he said. "But never did they say that if don't return it by this deadline here's the punishment. They never said anything like that.”

Ms. Daring said earlier that current student-athletes are being unfairly punished.

“Let the kids complete,” she said. “We've made every attempt to move on from this. We want to move on from this.”

The mayor was disappointed he didn't have a chance to talk with Mr. Neal this morning.

“That's why he left because he doesn't want to answer any of these questions,” Mr. Hawke said. “How can the MIAA have all this authority and be so vindictive against kids? ... I'll come down here and shine Mr. Neal's shoes and wash his car if it's able to get the kids to compete (in the postseason). This is supposed to be about the kids.”

Mr. Hawke said Gardner High student-athletes are taking the news hard.

“They can't believe that this decision (from 2012) is affecting them,” he said. “It's effecting the hockey team, it effecting the indoor track, it's effecting the basketball teams – why? The year on (the trophy) is '12, and it's a swimmer.”